Current Kiowa County 1st District Commissioner John W. Unruh has suspended his campaign for the 117th District Kansas House of Representatives seat.

Unruh sent out a press release last week suspending his campaign and endorsing Dodge City Community College Broadcasting Professor John Ewy of Jetmore.

“Making the decision to run for public office is never an easy one,” said Unruh in his release. “I have decided to suspend my campaign due to the recent decline of my father’s health. After filing for office, I met with John [Ewy] and I feel confident he will serve the constituents of the 117th District well. I fully support his candidacy in the upcoming election.”

Unruh, who said in an interview two weeks ago that he would “assess the situation” of his candidacy, dropped out of the race just a week-and-a-half after filing (“McKinney, Unruh file for vacant 117th House seat” - Kiowa County Signal, June 13, 2012).

In the same interview Unruh said he had told 116th District Rep. Kyle Hoffman (R-Coldwater) he would file for the non-incumbent race “if no one else was going to do it.”

Unruh, a first term county commissioner and previously the mayor of Haviland, was one of three district Republicans running on the August 7 primary ticket for the newly restructured 117th House District.

Ewy and University of Kansas Political Science/Economics student Mitchell Rucker of Burdett are the two remaining candidates.

“I am grateful for John’s endorsement,” Ewy was quoted in the press release. “I am committed to being a strong voice for southwestern Kansas in Topeka.”